Flag tower structure



1959 B. F. SHAUGHNESSY 2,870,559

FLAG TOWER STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 3, 1956 United States Patent FLAG TOWER STRUCTURE Bernard F. Shaughnessy, Catasauqua, Pa.

Application October 3, 1956, Serial No. 613,679

1 Claim. (Cl. 40-139) My invention relates to flag tower or mast structures and has for one of its objects the provision or means for displaying flags or other insignia in an improved and striking manner, at the top of a mast.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for preventing the wrapping or furling of flags around their staffs by winds.

Another object of my invention is to provide a structure of the character referred to wherein the mast is mounted upon a base within which are positioned a blower for air to hold the flags distended, and a motor for driving a vertical shaft that rotates a turret that carries flags or other insignia and which is rotatably supported on the mast.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a vertical-sectional view through the installation.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view taken on the line IIII of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged-sectional view of the portion of the structure of Fig. 1.

The structure comprises a base or a foundation 6 upon which is anchored a casing 7 provided with a cover plate or man-hole 8 for access to the mechanism in the base. A tubular mast or tower 9 is welded at 10 to the casing 7.

An electric motor at 11 is contained within the casing and through a gear-reducer at 12 drives a fiexibleshaft 14 that extends upwardly through the column 9.

The lower portion of the shaft 14 is braced against excessive whipping, by a collar 15 that is firmly supported thereon and loosely engages the inner wall of the mast. The flexible shaft at its upper end is secured into the lower end of a tubular shaft 16 which, at its upper end, is connected to a ring or collar 17 that is, in turn, connected to a turret 18 that rests upon an anti-friction hear-- ing 19 on the upper end of the mast 9.

A hollow flag-staff 21 projects upwardly from the shaft 16 and carries a flag 22. In order to prevent the flag from drooping whenthere is no wind and also to keep it from Wrapping around the staff when the wind is blowing, I provide a blast of air through holes in the staff 21. This air is supplied from a blower 23, upwardly through the mast 9; and past the bearings therein; through holes in the shaft 16, and into the lower end of the staff 21.

The turret 18 is of generally cylindrical form and nonrotatably connected at its upper end to the shaft 16, but is rotatable on the upper end of the mast 9, on the bearing 19. The turret has wings 24 welded thereto and supports a slotted frame or insignia plate 25 by bolts 26. A flag staff 27 extends into the turret 18 and is provided with holes through which air will flow from the turret and through the staff, to hold a flag 28 distended.

The flags 22 and 28 may suitably be the national flag and a local flag, while the member 25 may conveniently be formed as a key symbolical of the key to a gateway or it may contain various insignia or advertising matter. Also, it may serve as a vane to swing the turret and flags in the direction of wind, when the motor at 11 is not in operation.

The turret, as above indicated, will be rotated by the shaft 14, together with the flags and the insignia plate 25, a blast of air being maintained at that time to distend the flags 22 and 28. This blast of air may be required when the turret is not being driven by the motor, to prevent the flags becoming wrapped around their staffs by the wind.

A rope 30 is provided for raising and lowering the bag 22. The rope passes over a pulley 31 and its lower looped portion extends around a drum 33 that has a crank 34 and is rotatable in a cage 35 that is connected to a ring 36 that loosely encircles the mast 9 and has rotative movement thereon, to thereby prevent wrapping and fouling of the rope around the mast when the turret is being rotated.

In order to service the apparatus at the top of the mast, a chair or cage 39 is employed for raising and lowering the caretaker. This cage is supported by a rope 40 that extends over a pulley 41 carried by the mast, and has wrapped engagement with a drum 42 of a winch in the base, the drum having gear teeth which mesh with a winch pinion 43 turned by a hand crank 44.

The socket which supports the flag staff 27 could, of course, be utilized to support an image or other display item.

I claim as my invention:

A flag tower structure that comprises a fixedly mounted mast of tubular form, a turret rotatably supported on the upper end of the mast, a vertical shaft in the mast and connected to the turret, a motor at the lower end of the shaft and serving to rotate it and the turret, a vertical flag staff rigidly connected to the turret and extending above the turret, a vane fixedly carried by the turret and of sufficient area to swing the turret about its vertical axis, upon changes in wind direction when the motor is inactive to drive the shaft, means for supplying a blast of air upwardly through the mast and into the turret while the turret is being rotated, the flag staff being hollow and having a vertical row of holes through which air flow will be had from the turret, a second hollow flag staff carried by the turret at one side thereof and having a vertical row of holes, and means for directing a blast of air from the turret through said side thereof and into the second-named flag staff.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 765,427 Herrick July 19, 1904 957,606 Hendricks May 10, 1910 1,102,270 Howard July 7, 1914 1,171,917 Axford Feb. 15, 1916 1,610,663 Diago Dec. 14, 1926 2,270,753 Pikes Jan. 20, 1942 2,377,219 Ellis May 29, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 821,777 France "Aug. 30, 1937 

